We were recently approached by a newspaper to answer a few questions about the wearing of kilts by non-Scots. In our answers, we discussed that as long as highlandwear is worn properly and not as a joke, cultural appropriation isn’t an issue. We have mentioned previously that we see non-Scots wearing kilts as a cultural celebration and encourage everyone to wear a kilt, no matter their nationality or ancestry. After the article was published, it got us thinking about how far kilts and highlandwear have travelled throughout the world and how a small country like Scotland has been able to create such a global identity for itself.
Why are Scottish kilts seen all around the world?
It seems that no matter what corner of the world you travel to, you’ll always be able to find a Scot wearing his kilt outfit, whether that be on Burns Night, Hogmanay or celebrating a wedding. With the number of Scots or people with Scottish heritage being so high outside of Scotland, it’s difficult to understand how a country with a population of only 5.5 million has produced such a large number of foreign Scots. The answer, however, is rather simple. Throughout various stages of history, there have been a number of compelling reasons for Scots to emigrate from Scotland.
Between the 16th century to the 19th century, Scots emigrated around the world for religious salvation, political freedom, economic opportunities and a host of other reasons. During the 19th century, when travel between countries became more accessible and cheaper, the number of Scots leaving Scotland increased to its highest level. Thanks to colonial expansion, the main destinations for Scots during this period were Canada, America, New Zealand and Australia. Representatives from many countries around the world came to Scotland and set up offices in cities like Glasgow or Inverness to try and encourage people to emigrate to their country. Often the cost of emigration was even subsidised by the welcoming country, making the offer extremely appealing. The term “Ten Pound Poms” was given to British citizens who chose to migrate to Australia and New Zealand. Ten pounds being the cost of their relocation which works out to roughly £500 in today's money. As a result, there are millions of people worldwide with varying degrees of Scottish heritage and ancestry. Some people are only now discovering their Scottish ancestry through DNA kits which shows just how long Scots have been migrating from Scotland.
The Kiltmakers of The World
With so many people around the world with Scottish heritage and more people learning about their Scottish ancestry each year, there is growing global demand for highlandwear. This is one of the reasons that we created our international kilt fitting services. Our first international fitting service was held in New York City in 2019 and it was a huge success. We received such a warm reception that it encouraged us to return, as well as trial a fitting service in Toronto in 2022. Both went so well last year that we decided to keep New York and Toronto as permanent fixtures on our fitting service calendar. While we would love to be able to take our kilt fitting service to every major city in the world, we aren’t quite there yet, so for the places we can’t visit in person, we have our online fitting service. This bridges the gap between the location of our international customers and our kilt shop. We like to call it ‘the kilt fitting experience from home’ and to date, we have helped customers from hundreds of different places all over the world. Our main goal is to deliver high-quality highlandwear to anyone who needs it, regardless of their location, making us the Kiltmakers of the World.
Are kilts fashionable?
Highlandwear today isn’t only for Scots attending black-tie events like weddings, people nowadays are finding every excuse to wear a kilt. We receive an increasing number of requests from fashion publications to provide highlandwear outfits for their photoshoots, highlighting the fact that kilts are now trendy. Whether dressed up as a full highlandwear outfit or down with just a jumper and boots, kilts are becoming more fashion orientated than formalwear specific. It’s an exciting time for Scotland's national dress and without a doubt, kilts will continue to gain global popularity for years to come.
No matter where you are in the world, MacGregor and MacDuff can help you find your dream highlandwear outfit. Whether you visit us in person at one of our stores or fitting services, we would be happy to get you booked in and measured. For the people that can’t visit us in person, our online fitting service is available to you no matter what time zone you are in, and for everything else, our online store is open 24/7.